[Leica] Off Topic

[daniel.ridings at edd.uio.no (Daniel Ridings)]

:-)

I've got three teenagers that start to drop in between 3 and 4. They
remind me of little birds in a nest: heads pointed up to the sky "food,
food, food". It sure takes a lot of calories to keep those little bodies
warm. Drives my wife nuts. She's one of those silly mothers whose chord
really gets plucked when she thinks the children are hungry (she gets home
around 5 in the afternoon and is greeted by this sight).

Sure, I could make food ... but there is a strong consensus among the
kids: no "pappa-food". They don't like my spices.

I usually come down and raze her a bit: "What kind of mother are you? Why
are your children so hungry. Don't you ever give them food?" Drives her
nuts.

Teenagers do too (and they know it). She's a teacher and deals with them
all day. She feels like she walked out of one classroom into another.

But ... at 5 or 5:30 everyday, we all sit down and eat. It's really pretty
easy. Two chickens. Stuff them with parsley, brush them with oil and soya
sauce. Stick 'em in the oven and watch the little scavengers wolf it down
(never leaving any white-meat for me of course).

For some reason the 5 o'clock meal and the Sunday supper are pretty much
stable. We haven't brought them up that way ... we don't force it, but
everyone enjoys it. (Except for Ewa when the kids decide to see if they
can get her to crack ... they can).

There are few families who can survive on one income anymore. We're lucky.
Our schedule is such that this eating thing works out.

Daniel

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005, B. D. Colen wrote:

> Wellll, let's see - Mom's a nurse and works the 3-11 shift; Dad, a
> middle manager for a widget company, get's home at 7 after an
> hour-and-forty-minute commute that's necessitated by his living far
> enough outside the side city to be able to afford a house; Junior, 16,
> has sports after school until 6, and grabs food when he comes home
> because he's close to starving. Juniorette, 13, gets home at 4:30 from
> afterschool activities and fixes herself something in the microwave
> around five. And this wonderful Norman Rockwell family dinner takes
> place when?
>
> I know - Junior, Juniorette, and Dad, can wait and eat with Mom around
> midnight - or J,J and D can eat around 7:30 - that's likely.
>
> This is not a pretty picture. In fact it is an ugly picture. But it is
> reality for countless families in 2005, and has been for decades.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
> Afterswift@aol.com
> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 2:01 AM
> To: lug@leica-users.org
> Subject: [Leica] Off Topic
>
>
>
> In a message dated 1/30/05 8:13:31 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org
> writes:
>
>
> > As for KFC . . . well I haven't seen the ad but there are people I've
> > visited whose kids just leave the table, listen to their iPods at
> > dinner, wear their hats etc etc. Shuddering. Somewhere you learn
> > respect for a group.
> >
> > Adam
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ----
> What's the point of having a family if only the technicality of sharing
> the
> family name gives kids some commonality. Kids are out of the house after
> high
> school. That's a very short time to enjoy the warmth and orientation of
> family
> life. The best preparation for appreciating all the aspects of civilized
> life
> begins at the dinner table. As photographers see the world, at least.
>
> Bob
>
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